As the global shipping industry faces mounting concerns over future crew availability, Danica Crewing Specialists has expanded its international recruitment network to include Indonesian seafarers, giving shipowners access to one of the world's largest maritime labour markets and helping them strengthen their long-term crewing strategies.

The expansion further enhances Danica Crewing Specialists' ability to provide clients with a broader and more diversified pool of qualified seafarers through a single trusted recruitment partner.

Industry forecasts continue to point to a worsening shortage of qualified seafarers in the years ahead, making workforce planning and recruitment diversification increasingly important for shipowners seeking to ensure uninterrupted operations.

"Access to qualified seafarers is becoming one of the most important strategic challenges facing shipowners today," said Henrik Jensen, Founder and CEO of Danica Crewing Specialists. "While there is currently a shortage of competent crew, industry forecasts indicate the situation is only going to become more challenging in the years ahead. Shipowners need to have strategies in place to mitigate this risk, and one of the most effective ways to do that is by broadening their recruitment options."

Founded in Germany and establishing a crewing agency in Ukraine in 2013, Danica Crewing Specialists has spent the past decade strategically expanding its international presence to cover the world's major seafaring hubs and now operates recruitment offices in Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and across the European Union, providing clients with access to multiple crew sources through a single trusted partner and a consistent recruitment process.

The company's newest office in Indonesia is staffed by a young and dynamic local team led by managers with seagoing experience as senior officers serving European shipowners on dry cargo and gas tanker vessels. Their practical maritime expertise helps ensure a strong understanding of both client requirements and candidate quality.

Indonesia is one of the world's largest seafaring nations, with an estimated 1.4 million seafarers and while the majority are employed in domestic trade between the country's more than 17,500 islands, approximately 60,000 officers and 80,000 deck and engine ratings currently serve on internationally trading vessels across a wide range of vessel types.

"Indonesia is a natural addition to our network," added Mr Jensen. "It boasts a strong maritime tradition, robust training infrastructure and a large pool of qualified seafarers. By establishing a local presence in Indonesia, we are further strengthening our ability to support clients with reliable, flexible and diversified crewing solutions."

Indonesia is fully STCW White List compliant, a full member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and has fully implemented the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), providing international shipowners with confidence in the country's training and regulatory standards. From an operational perspective, Indonesia also offers a straightforward deployment process. While deployed seafarers and vessels must be registered with local authorities, the process is largely administrative and can be completed even after the seafarer has departed the country.

For shipowners, Indonesian seafarers represent a competitive crewing option, with salary levels generally comparable to those of Filipino seafarers while providing access to an additional and increasingly important source of maritime talent.

By adding Indonesia to its recruitment network, Danica Crewing Specialists is further strengthening its ability to help clients reduce supply risk, widen their recruitment options and secure qualified crew in an increasingly competitive global labour market.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Sam Giltrow/Lisa Jacobs Elaborate Communications Tel: +44 (0) 1296 682051

About Danica

* Danica is a dedicated international crewing service provider connecting demanding shipping companies with highly competent seafarers through trustworthy crewing services exceeding the highest industry standards.

* Headquartered in Hamburg, the company has its own network of manning agencies across the world. With the first office established in Odessa in 2009, today Danica's network covers all the leading crew supply regions including Eastern Europe, India and the Philippines.

* Presently, Danica deploys more than 1,400 seafarers to a wide range of international vessels owned by blue-chip ship owners.

* Led by Founder and CEO Henrik Jensen, Danica connects vessel owners via a single point of contact to a large pool of competent officers and ratings.

* Danica's high-quality and cost efficient crewing services range from the supply of highly competent crews on a single-position basis, to a full crew management solution by which it takes care of the full crew management of an entire fleet of vessels on a cost or fixed lump sum basis for the budget year.

For more information see the website: www.danica-maritime.com